A Hollow Life
by kyra.storms
Summary: AU: Kurosaki Ichigo is a shinigami from Soul Society, Inoue Orihime is a human amongst the world of the living. What happens, when their paths cross and Ichigo decides to oblige his curiosity…?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: **I Don't Own Bleach**

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He was royally pissed. Of all the shinigami they could have chosen for patrol duty, it had to be him, and in such a boring town, Karakuracho. As he sat on the roof of one of the human made structures, wind billowing through his shihakusho and definitive orange hair, Kurosaki Ichigo watched how humans carried out their daily lives.

It wasn't much different from back in Soul Society, although back home people had more respect and pride. Not to mention they were a whole lot friendlier to each other than how some of the humans behaved here. The one thing he noticed about humans was that they were greedy. They were always trying to get one up on the other, trying to outsmart each other all in the name of money. It seemed everyone had a hidden agenda. It was hard to find a pure soul, either man or woman. It was only the children that were innocent…

Ukitake taicho had once told him that things were different in the past in the living world. Humans lived similar lives to that of the shinigami but as time progressed and with technology evolving, lifestyles changed and so did personalities and upbringing.

It sickened him how they treated each other with disregard. 'Thanks', 'Please' and 'Sorry', were words that hardly featured in their vocabulary. Though occasionally he would find kind hearts, and it was usually the elderly who would show kindness, just to get it thrown back in their faces by the brats of the present generation.

Soul Society could be a crazy place at times and he couldn't deny the fact that they had their share of ruthless people, especially in the outer districts, Rukongai being number one. He should know, seeing as it was his home district. After losing his parents and two sisters to some rampant hollow, growing up in a place like that alone, taught him a lot of things. How to fight, for starters. Hanging on to the scraps of food that would get you through the day was tough, especially being alone…

He spent a lot of time in solitude, too many years actually, that when he found a decent person to talk to, he couldn't form the correct words or he always said the wrong things, always to brash; he was socially inept. His demeanor and sour face would always put people off and he got teased about it by the other boys around Rukongai, saying he'd never find a woman with that scary face.

He didn't care in the least. He was happy alone and he never needed anyone before.

Although, at some stage in his life, he had reached a certain point in his life, where he searched for something more. He felt as if something was calling out to him and that's when he decided to become a shinigami.

Getting into the academy was fun, well he loved the fighting part about it all. The rest sucked. No one would approach him and even if they did, he had to just glare at them and they would turn the other way.

Meeting Rukia and Renji had been a feat on its own. He grinned at the fight he had gotten in with the both of them on their first meeting. He couldn't even remember what they were fighting over but it must have been Rukia's big mouth that caused the fight. He had underestimated Rukia due to her size, he realised he was very wrong a little too late. She had pummeled him and that bastard Renji had sat back and laughed. Though afterwards, she had felt sorry for him, and got Renji to drag him to one of the places they hung out on breaks.

After that, they were inseparable, always protecting each other and looking out for one another, not to mention fighting and arguing with each other most times. It was an ok life, though that damn Byakuya had to come and intervene, taking Rukia away, adopting her into his family with some vague reason. Though, he and Renji were saddened at first, they understood it was for the best. She could have a better life that way and more privileges even though her 'brother' looked down on him and Renji.

They went on with their mundane but disruptive lives and eventually they qualified. He became a 5th seat in Squad 5 and Renji the 6th Seat of the 11th Squad. Rukia belonged to the 13th Squad but wasn't seated, apparently that had something to do with her 'brother', Byakuya.

Ichigo was quite strong, everyone knew that his reiatsu was hard to tame, it was shown in his Zanpakuto that was always in shikai form. That was one of the main reasons he was seated so early in his 'career' as a Shinigami. Though there was one thing he didn't like about his life as a Shinigami… and that was being under the leadership of Aizen Sousuke. He couldn't place it but even though the man was his squad leader and everyone loved him, he couldn't see eye-to-eye with him.

He always got this weird vibe from him that he couldn't explain. When he had mentioned it to Rukia and Renji, he had gotten sounded just for bringing up such an insane observation. If he even whispered a word to Momo, he knew he would be dead. His lieutenant followed the man as if he were Kami himself…

That's one thing he could never figure out. Everyone within their respective divisions, especially the fukataicho's, praised their taicho's as if they were God's. They followed them blindly and never doubted them. He wished he could be one of them but it wasn't in his nature or maybe it was also due to the fact that he didn't trust his own taicho.

He had a feeling someone must have gotten wind off his unsettled feelings, or it could be due to him always saying what was on his mind, well it all led to this moment in time… the reason he was sitting here watching the normally mundane lives of humans.

Out of the blue Momo had called him and let him know that he would be the Shinigami to watch over Karakuracho. He was dumbfounded at first. Everyone knew he was excessively strong and that he would work his way up the ranks in no time, he just couldn't understand why he was being given a job that should be left to the bottom-enders… And then he eventually realised it when he noticed Momo's disposition towards him. She wasn't her friendly self and she had had this irritated look on her face which wasn't like her.

So he asked her about it, although he knew gossip must have spread about his dislike of their taicho. She had been angry and plainly said that it was better if he was away for a while so he couldn't spread any poisonous thoughts around, regarding 'Aizen-taicho'. He was shocked to see her that way. Momo was his friend, ever since he was placed in the 5th division. She was sweet and kind and would never lash out at her friends unnecessarily and she was the only one in the division that didn't shy away from his moody disposition.

This made him despise his taicho even more. He had her wrapped around his finger and she was blind to all else, so was everybody else. Well he would find out what his taicho was hiding, one day his game would be up. He had a gut feeling about it.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a screech of tires and a loud honk from a car. He whipped his head to watch the scene below him, a car skidding to a halt as a young woman ran off from the pavement to grab the little girl who had wandered on the road, in line of the car. The woman fell heavily on her side, bearing the brunt of the fall and cradling the little girl so she wouldn't get hurt. Her long auburn hair, a strange colour for a human woman, fell around the two like a blanket. He jumped down from his position to take a closer look.

He watched as the woman slowly got off the ground, still holding the little girl in her arms as she sobbed heavily. She soothed the girl by rubbing her back and whispering soft words in her ear. Though, the scene was interrupted as the driver of the car got off and started yelling at the little girl's savior.

"You stupid bitch! Can't you look after your kid! That little brat nearly damaged my car! Do you know how expensive this car is? Way more than the two of your lives put together!" The angry man bellowed.

Ichigo was seething and wanted to punch him in the face for his horrible words. The man didn't even care if the mother and daughter were okay, all he was worried about was his damn car! This is what disgusted him, humans like this man. And what made him more irritated was that the mother kept apologizing to him and trying to say something but the man wouldn't allow her as he yelled continuously.

At this point there was a crowd gathering and as he looked to the side, he noticed another woman push thought the crowd and barrel her way towards the young woman and the little girl. The woman was almost hysterical as he watched her run forward screaming out a name and snatching the girl from the auburn-haired woman.

"Kaoru-chan!" she yelled, squeezing the girl to her body.

The little girl broke out into tears, "Okaasan! Okaasan!"

Ichigo's eyes widened. So the auburn-haired woman was not the young girl's mother… Maybe that's what she must have been trying to tell that pig-headed driver.

He snapped his head at the mother of the girl and watched as she yelled at the auburn-haired woman, not even realising what just happen.

"Get your filthy hands off my daughter! Where the hell were you taking her! I should call the police!"

"Gomen! I swear I wasn't taking her anywhere, she ran on the road and-"

The young woman tried to explain but the mother cut her off.

"Save it! I don't want to hear it!"

The grey-eyed woman bowed her head in shame and Ichigo was baffled that she wasn't defending herself.

The mother looked towards the car and the angry driver and quickly added, "I'll let it slide this time. Freak." And with that, he watched as the mother of the girl held on to her daughter and made her way through the crowd quickly without so much of a 'thanks' for the woman that just saved her child. Most probably she realised her kid had run onto the street and she had just yelled at the poor woman for nothing, being too embarrassed, she ran off as if she was right.

He noticed the young woman flinch at the last comment but still kept her head bowed.

The driver who now realised that he had been yelling at the wrong woman, jumped back in his car without apologizing for his mistake and drove off hastily, almost knocking over the young woman, who squeaked and jumped out off the way. At this point in time the crowd that had gathered started to dissipate, not one of them even offering to help the auburn-haired woman.

He watched as she bowed her head and sighed and slowly made her way to her bag that lay on the road. That's when he noticed that she limped slightly and there was a small grimace on her face. He knew she had been hurt because of the fall. She picked up her bag and dusted it off, placing it on her shoulder and began walking, or more like limping, down the road.

Ichigo was extremely curious… This woman just jumped out onto the street to save someone else's child at the cost of her own body. She refused to retort back at the man who yelled at her, only apologizing to him when it wasn't her fault and she had quietly not said a thing at the harsh words of the child's mother, only bowing her head as if she were in the wrong.

He was actually angry for her and it shouldn't have affected him in the least! He wondered why she would do what she did, or react the way she did. He followed her and noticed her head was bowed low and occasionally she would lift her hands to her face, swiping at it quickly. When he moved to look at her from the front, he realised she was crying…

For some strange reason his heart clenched at the site. After the kind act she had just demonstrated, she was the one that was left hurt the most… This pissed him off. He felt like finding the man and punching him until he apologized and shaking some sense into that woman for not looking after her kid better and not to mention showing some gratitude!

His head started throbbing at the foreign sensation in his mind. He grasped his head in his hands and gritted his teeth, willing the feeling to leave. He shook his head, allowing his anger to subside and continued to watch the woman.

He wondered why the woman in front of him wasn't angry, why she wasn't seething with rage at how those people treated her, or why she wasn't promising to hurt them. All he could feel coming from her right now was hurt and shame…

He was highly intrigued by her so he decided to follow her to her destination, the poor girl seemed out of it. She looked like she was trying hard to keep it together.

He watched as she made it to her apartment and with shaking hands, fished out the keys from her bag and opened the door, locking it behind her. He walked through the wall to see her drop her bag and fall in front of a shrine, a photo frame with a picture of a young, smiling, brown-haired man, at the center of the shrine.

She bowed her head and burst out crying, her back convulsing in sobs. It tore at his heart as he heard her soft words, aimed at the man in the picture.

"Oh onii-chan… It hurts so much… I tried to help the little g-girl… and tha-that man just kept yelling at m-me. I didn't mean to fall in front of his c-car… and the lady thought I was going to take her child. I would never do something like that! A-and she c-called me a f-freak…"

She quieted after revealing what the woman had called her and her crying turned into soft sobs. She lifted her head but still looked at the ground, as if she were thinking of a distant past.

"It's been a very long time since anyone called me that…" she sighed and held onto a few strands of her hair.

"Maybe I should cut it, and then maybe dye it… Then maybe I would fit in… And they would never call me that again…" she said contemplatively.

Ichigo was shocked beyond words… This human girl suffered the same troubles as him growing up. He could still remember the foul words he'd been called due to his drastic hair colour. It hurt at first, especially being by himself, but he got over it and fought back. He wasn't about to change for anyone. That was one of the main reasons he got into so many fights. He wanted to yell at her not to do something so stupid, to be happy as she is and not to give a fuck about what anybody else said but she beat him to it.

She shook her head, her long locks flying all over and determinedly said, "No! I can't! That would be dishonoring Tatsuki-chan! I promised I'd grow my hair out because she protected me and that was my vow to her."

Her expression changed slowly though after that outburst, he watched a small smile form on her face as she sniffled softly, "And anyway…onii-chan liked my hair like this…" holding a few strands in front of her.

She wiped her face and laughed. "Gosh, look at what a mess I am. If Tatsuki-chan saw me like this she'd smack me!" she giggled and then fell into a somber mood, smiling sadly at the picture. She clasped her hands and said a small prayer, then bowed low and finally got up and walked to the other room.

He was about to follow her but his communicator went off, so he left in search of the hollow, letting his thoughts of the auburn-haired woman drift for now.

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When Ichigo was done, which was a while after, due to there being more than one hollow as well as the many souls he had to perform konso on, it was quite late. He decided to patrol around, though he couldn't get the thought of the auburn-haired woman out of his head.

When he had listened in on her conversation to her deceased brother, he realised that the woman had the kindest of intentions from the beginning. She was soft hearted and almost believed it was her fault. He was shocked to find out that she shared the same experience as he did concerning their hair but that 'Tatsuki' woman she kept mentioning must have helped her because after mentioning her, her resolve was strengthened.

He smirked at that, the young woman looked like she had some spirit in her. He had watched as her face changed from desolation to determination. That was a good trait and he hoped she wouldn't let the evil of people diminish it.

He made his way to her apartment building and seeing all the lights off, perched himself on the roof, content on trying to get some sleep. He didn't know why he came back here but he wasn't going to question it. There was just something different about her that he couldn't explain…

As he drifted off, he hoped there wouldn't be any hollows interrupting his much needed sleep…

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**A/N:** 'Equilibrium' is almost done and this has been nagging at me for a while. If I didn't get it out, I think I was going to lose my mind…

Please let me know if I should carry on with this story, because I'm not sure if I should continue or just take it down _

Tc,

Kyra


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Bleach

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The next morning Orihime woke up late, which was most probably due to emotional exhaustion from the day before. She was still hurt by what the woman had said. The one thing she couldn't understand was why it was always women that called her names and disliked her hair. She pushed the thoughts out of her head, no time to deliberate on that, it was in the past now.

She ran around her apartment, trying to get things in order, make all the lunches, plus have breakfast before she left for work. She was almost out the door when she realised she forgot her hairpins.

She quickly made her way to her nightstand and slipped the hairpins on her coat. She had grown her bangs out and they framed her face now, she looked a lot mature now, well that's what most people said. Although she didn't wear the pins on her hair anymore, she kept onii-san's gift close to her always… She locked up and walked down stairs.

As she made her way to school, she reflected over the events of yesterday. You'd think she would be used to events like that or people like that but she still couldn't get over it. She just couldn't understand why people couldn't be a little friendlier at times, why couldn't they stop being so mean to each other. But even if she knew what the reaction of the driver and the mother would be beforehand, she would have still done what she did. It wasn't in her to just walk away from trying to protect someone.

She closed her eyes and sighed, trying to dispel the unsavory moments of yesterday. She was lost in thought, when suddenly she felt her left hand jerk, as if she were pulled to the side. She snapped her head up fast and opened her eyes, widening them as she saw the close proximity of the metal pole in front of her. She kept staring at it and then suddenly whipped her head around her. She swore that somebody or something had pulled her out of the way. There was no way she could have missed that pole!

She slowly rubbed her left hand, where she had felt the jerk and she swore she could feel the strings of a light presence, one that didn't belong to her… She turned her head around again, looking for anything strange and then it was like a light bulb went off in her head.

"I got it! I knew the blue men and green men existed! See! I have to tell Tatsuki-chan about this when she comes back from her tournament! The evil green men were pushing me toward the pole and then the blue men saved me!" she said in wonderment, then she bowed low, to no one in particular, "Arigatou blue men-san". Standing up straight, she smiled and then squealed as she realised she was going to be extremely late! She ran off in the direction of her school.

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Once she made it through the door, she placed her bag on the table and gave her class of first graders a warm welcome, "Ohayo class!"

To which all the kids ran up to her, hugging her and squealing, "Ohayo Inoue-sensei!"

Orihime giggled and hugged them all then watched as they ran off to their desks. She was so happy she was able to work with these kids. They always brightened her day. They were innocent, pure and not tainted by the evil of the world. She just wished they would stay that way for the rest of their lives but she knew that wasn't possible…

She quickly got down to the start of the day by having each child read a passage from one of the books she had handed to them at the beginning of the year. When they got things wrong, she encouraged them softly, never screaming or getting frustrated at them. She didn't want them scared off her, then they wouldn't enjoy school!

She continued to help them with their words and writing as well as their phonics.

When it was time for lunch, she handed out the extra lunch she had made for the kids she knew weren't well off and then watched as they thanked her happily and ran off to the playground. She grabbed her lunch and made her way to the teacher's lounge. As she was walking there she heard her name being called out.

"Inoue-san, wait up!"

Orihime turned to see the short woman with brown hair catch up to her. "Hello Okita-sensei!" she greeted warmly.

"Hi there, thought I'd walk with you to the teacher's lounge, how's your day been so far?" the older teacher asked kindly.

"Oh it's been great! You won't believe what happened to me this morning!"

Orihime continued to ramble on about the morning's events about the blue and green men, to which Okita-sensei just chuckled at. The older woman knew Orihime had a vivid imagination and that was one of the reasons she liked the young woman. She was gentle and kind and the kids loved her. She knew Orihime could be ditzy at times but she was adorable and the most honest woman she had ever met.

The brown-haired woman was chuckling lightly at Orihime's story when she noticed one of the class doors were open, and Orihime was heading straight for it, not noticing due to her being so engrossed in telling her story. She was about to warn her when the door slammed shut on its own, startling the both of them and causing Orihime to stop and look at the door strangely. She looked at the young woman who stared back at her and then they both glared at the door.

She moved forward and opened the door slowly, peeking on the other side, thinking it may have been one of the students, but the class was empty. She nearly jumped out of her shoes when Orihime yelled next to her.

"See! I told you the blue men existed! It had to be them!"

Okita-sensei just smiled and shook her head, guiding Orihime to the lounge.

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Once the day was over, Orihime said her farewells to the class and watched as they left the classroom, happy with how the day went and wishing them a safe trip home.

She was pulled out of her musings when a little boy ran up to her, almost tripping on the way.

"Whoa, Yahiko-chan! Careful or you'll get hurt!" Orihime scolded lightly at the boy's eagerness to get to her.

"Gomen sensei, but I wanted to show you this drawing I made." the little boy beamed up at her and thrust a page into her face.

Orihime ruffled his hair and took the page, looking at it carefully. On the drawing, there was a stick figure of a lady with bright orange hair, which was surely Orihime, due to the arrow pointing to the figure with the word 'sensei' scribbled next to it. She was holding the hand of another stick figure, which was Yahiko, and he held a balloon in his other hand. To the far right of the page was the school with a little garden in the front with flowers that were represented by all the colours in the crayon box and in big curved writing on the top, "I love my Sensei".

Orihime continued to look at it as her bottom lip trembled slightly and her eyes shimmered with tears. She looked down at the grinning face of the little boy and then surprised him by throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. "Arigatou Yahiko-chan! I love it very much!" she sniffled, not allowing her tears to fall.

She pulled back to see the boy blushing heavily. He bowed low and quickly ran out of the classroom, yelling, "Sayonara sensei!"

Orihime chuckled, knowing that the boy had gotten shy. She looked back at the picture and smiled, hugging it to her chest but careful not to smash it. She packed her bags and carefully slid the page inside, then locked up and made her way out of the school gates. There were some things she needed to take care off before she got home, like go to the post office as well as pay some bills and she needed a new pair of shoes. The one she was wearing was fraying at the front due to her always tripping over things.

As she walked on she heard her name being called for the second time that day. She cringed slightly this time, knowing who the voice belonged too, but reprimanded herself for the motion. She turned around and smiled brightly, "Oh, hi Asano-sensei!"

"Yare yare! So formal Orihime-chan! You know you can call me Keigo" The young man bellowed.

Orihime flinched slightly at his volume but smiled nonetheless. "It's probably habit" she giggled.

"Well, what are you doing this weekend? I wanted to know if you'd like to go watch the new Bad Shield movie with me" Keigo winked at her.

"Oh that would be nice… But I have some things to do, errands to catch up on, which reminds me, I have to go to the post office before it closes. Thanks for asking Asano-sensei, I'll see you at school on Monday." She said politely, as she turned and moved to carry on walking, hoping he would take the hint even though she felt bad for refusing him.

But seems like he didn't, he caught up to her and fell in step with her, "Aw Orihime-chan, it'll be one movie and maybe we can have dinner afterwards!" he said enthusiastically.

"It really is nice off you to ask me… but if I don't get these things done, I'll be running behind. Plus Tatsuki-chan will be back soon and she loves the Bad Shield movies way more than me! Maybe we all can go see it together!" Orihime replied, hoping that the mention of Tatsuki might make him back off a little.

Tatsuki always shoved him away from making any advances towards her, and not too gently too and now that she was away with the karate club for a tournament, seeing as she was the gym teacher, he's advances were more profound.

It's not that she didn't like him, it's just that he was… a bit too eccentric for her… not that she hadn't been called that herself, she just couldn't see him as more than a friend, but he never gave up. She sighed as he tried to make more excuses of how it should just be the two of them because Tatsuki would just end up beating him the whole night. She was about to make a hasty farewell when she watched him trip over nothing and fall flat on his face, at her feet.

"Oh my! Asano-sensei! Are you okay!" she quickly bent down to him.

He looked up and quickly scrambled to his feet, holding a hand over his nose and forehead. "Oh that was nothing, I-I have to get going! I'll call you tomorrow and we'll set up a date!"

Orihime blinked, and watched him run off, holding his face. Just a moment ago he was so persistent and now he couldn't get away from her any faster. She tilted her head and watched his back questioningly, then looked at the ground where he had tripped.

The surface was smooth, not a dent or crack marred the pavement. How did he fall? It was as if he tripped over fresh air. She looked around and couldn't help but feel a shiver at sensing the same presence as she felt this morning at the pole. She giggled, gosh those blue men were something. She turned and continued on her way, smiling at the thought.

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She completed her errands and made her way home to start on dinner. Once she was home, she cleaned up around the apartment and then had a bath before relaying the day's events to Sora and then she started dinner.

Once she was done with dinner and cleared out all the dishes, she sat down to make a list of the groceries she would have to purchase tomorrow, not much seeing as she bought a few things this afternoon. Also she'd still have to find herself a good pair of shoes seeing as she couldn't find one today. She counted her money and placed them in neat piles according to what they were going to be used for.

"Yare, yare… The budget sure is tight this month… But I'm sure I could fit in a treat…" she spoke out loud, dreamily. Well she had already confirmed that her last stop would be Himura-sans bakery.

On her way home today, she had stopped at the bakery to make a request for a special cake, with her favourite ingredients. Himura-san was so kind to her. He always made her special treats, with the ingredients she liked, and they tasted divine! He promised her that he would make a chocolate cake for her with wasabi and red bean paste and his special ingredient. No matter how much she begged him for that ingredient, he would never reveal it, always winking at her pout.

He told her to fetch it around late afternoon tomorrow, because he also needed to fetch some things for the bakery during the day.

Tatsuki always laughed at the weird things she made but she would never try them. Thinking about her now, she really missed her… She would be gone for a while… because after the school tournament, there was the adult tournament she was to partake in.

Orihime decided that she would phone her tomorrow and check in with her. She didn't want to tell her about Asano-sensei. She knew Tatsuki would get mad and beat him senseless when she got back. She giggled. That was Tatsuki for you, always protecting her from everything, especially attention from overbearing males…

That was one of the reasons she didn't have a steady boyfriend at the age of 23. If any guy tried their luck with her, Tatsuki was always there to push them back, literally. And Orihime didn't mind, it was Tatsuki's way of keeping the 'creeps' away from her, as she called them. For her it was okay, because it's not like she really liked anyone as yet and she wasn't the type of girl to go out with men just for the sake of it.

Call her stupid or naïve but she still believed in true love and that she'd know when she felt it. And once Tatsuki approved of him, she'd be good to go! She laughed at this thought, right now she was content with the way things were, and it seemed like she even had the little blue men protecting her too!

She gathered her list and placed it by her bag with her money and then moved to the sofa to catch up on some TV, smiling at the prospect of one of her favourite shows being on later.

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**A/N: **Thanks to all those who added this to their favourite and story alerts!: **ranipaki, Gypsygrl86, Bleachichihime, indigo yamanaka, foxfang27, AberaiArekushisu, Renting, Ayame0217, Jacxufre, lovetolongago, 55, hikari-hime01, Rina Suzume, LunaCrusader, kitjos, Massu Chan, FreakingOutGirl, aimee hime, himeko63, Jaque Weasley, Chrissy234Life, Sariniste, Hime-x-x and GuiltyIchihime.**

A special thanks to all those who took the time to leave me a comment, I really appreciate it!: **ranipaki, himelove22, Gypsygrl86, Bleachichihime, indigo yamanaka, Ichihime supporter, AberaiArekushisu, nypsy, QueenBlade, Rook, lovetolongago, Off the Grid, Adam, 55, kikyoevil, forstersb, Damio The End, Massu Chan, FreakingOutGirl, KawaiPanda, Sariniste and Hime-x-x.**

Wow…. I was totally blown away by the reception of the first chapter… You guys really don't know how each and every comment motivated me. Thank you…

I know this was a short one, but the next chapter will come really soon :) Let me know how you feel about it!

To the guys who don't have an account, I couldn't get a pm to you but allow me to say thanks once again and hope you enjoy the rest of the story and continue to let me know what you think.

Tc

Kyra


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Bleach

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Ichigo came back from taking care of another hollow a few streets away from Inoue's house. He decided to check on what she may be doing now, he just couldn't explain it but he was very curious about this human's behavior. He had followed her almost the entire day, only occasionally dealing with a few stray hollows. That's how he had found out her name. He was watching her deal with her finances when his communicator went off, notifying him of a hollow in the area.

He had watched as she ran through her morning routine, and at first he had been shocked that she ate so much, blanching over some of the ingredients she put over one of the lunch packs she made, but later on figured that she was making lunch for some of the less fortunate kids at the school she taught at. He was surprised that even though she was late, she did not forget packing the lunch and he noticed that she hadn't filled the kids lunch with what she had in her own…

She was always deep in thought, and one thing he noticed was that she was extremely clumsy and oblivious to her surroundings. If he hadn't pulled her away from that pole, she would have been sporting a nasty bump on her head, not to mention any injury she would have received if he hadn't shut that door at her school. Lucky for him, she made up some story about 'blue' and 'green' men, in both cases. It had been exhausting watching over her! The woman was extremely unaware.

He thought that she could feel him or at least sense him at some point, especially when she had rubbed her arm after he pulled her but she had played it off to her imagination and ranted about 'colorful men'. He almost burst out laughing at her childishness but realised it was part of her innocence and what he was beginning to see, part of who she really was.

He had watched her interact with others, so polite and kind, always saying 'please' and 'thank you'. She always had a bright smile on her face, the only time she didn't was when no one was looking. Her interaction with the children caught his eye, especially when she had accepted the picture from the little boy. Ichigo could always tell when someone's reaction was genuine, and hers was, extremely so.

It seemed as if all the people in her school loved her, some more than others. He smirked at the thought. It gave him a lot of pleasure to thwart the affections that brown-haired baka tried to shower on her. Tripping him had made his day. Couldn't the man see that she was uncomfortable and was politely refusing him? And she was being so nice to him when all she had to say was 'get the hell away from me'. Though for some reason, he couldn't picture her even voicing such words.

In a day, he had learnt so much about her. He tried to find a moment where she would get angry or say something bad about someone, but she didn't… He also noticed that she literally tried to hide her injury on her ankle from yesterday, most probably because she didn't want to answer any questions or didn't want anyone worrying about her.

But what really made him look at her in a different light was when she was at the store. She went in to buy bread and milk and a few other necessities. He saw her stop and contemplate, looking at the shelf then looking at her leg. Then she started talking to herself, he was beginning to think she may have a few screws loose because she seemed to be doing that a lot… Until he heard what she had to say.

She was debating over using the money to see a doctor about her leg or buying extra food things for the kid's lunch. It didn't even take her a second to make a decision as she grabbed the things off the shelf and placed them in the basket, smiling all the way to the till.

This woman had put those kids before her own health, and she didn't do it to prove anything to anyone, she was doing it because that was the kind of person she was… Ichigo was finding it so hard to believe that a human like this, who he had thought was a myth, actually existed, especially someone this young.

She wasn't that well off either. He had watched as she budgeted and set her money aside for the things she'd need, overly excited over allowing herself a treat from that bakery she visited that afternoon. He chuckled at her over-enthusiasm.

Arriving back at her home now, he looked in through the window, the woman was watching that box, known as a TV in the human world. She was laughing hysterically at something and he actually smiled to see her so free and light. She had a melodious laugh and he couldn't stop staring.

He blanched though and widened his eyes, when he watched her cross her arms in front of her chest and yelled, "Bohahahahhaaa! Spirits are always with you!"

He almost laughed at the silly action but continued to watch as she giggled slightly then woke up and turned the TV off. She walked off into her room, still limping slightly, and he followed to the next window. Neatly she moved aside her bed covers and slipped into bed, putting the bedside lamp off, placing two hairpins on the nightstand and getting comfortable on her side.

She sighed contently and snuggled deeply into the covers. He smiled at the action and then caught himself. When the hell did Kurosaki Ichigo smile so much! What the hell was wrong with him? He scowled heavily and looked at the woman through the window.

This woman was actually making him change his thoughts on the human race, she actually gave them hope. Though he could see how people could take advantage over her easily, with her kind heart. Not to mention how men would leer at her as she walked down the street, but she was oblivious to it all.

He had to admit, she was a very beautiful woman, in this world and in his. He walked through the wall, entering her room and moving closer to her bed side. Her bright hair was what caught his eye, it was as if she had a halo around her. He watched as her thick lashes lay on her cheeks, eyelids hiding big beautiful and very expressive silver grey eyes. He didn't even want to talk about her figure or the wonderful 'assets' she had, just thinking about it made him blush.

He looked at her intently, trying to figure out how her mind worked and why she did the things she did but he couldn't come up with an answer for the life of him. He noticed that she was now fast asleep, so he moved the covers slightly, hoping she wasn't a light sleeper, and when she didn't wake, he let a small green glow flow from his hands and over her ankle, healing her injury with his limited kidou.

He knew he shouldn't be doing this, he was interfering with human business, but then again, he had been doing it the entire day. He just thought that it was unfair that she had helped that little girl and received no gratitude at all, just receiving an injury for her heroic actions. To top it all off, she'd be making it worse by putting so much pressure on it, especially if she wasn't going to get it checked by a doctor, and it was definitely sprained.

He almost let out an un-manly sound in fright when he heard her sigh in contentment. He thought she had woken up. Letting out a breath of relief, he continued healing her until he was done. She should be better by tomorrow although she may experience slight discomfort due to his not-so-grand kidou skills. He was well known for his fighting skills, not his kidou. He didn't see the need to learn it because he never relied on it in a fight, but part of being a Shinigami was knowing kidou as well…

He moved the covers over her leg gently and backed away quietly, still looking at her sleeping face, willing her not to wake up. Once he was at the wall, he slipped through and took his place on her roof top for a good night's rest.

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Orihime yawned, stretching tiredly as she got out of bed. She placed her feet on the ground then made her way to her cupboard to grab her clothes. She looked at the clock on her nightstand and realised that she had slept a lot later than usual. Well, she wasn't in a rush or anything. She grabbed her underwear and was walking out the door when she noticed that her leg didn't hurt as much as it did yesterday. She was shocked and glad at this revelation.

She picked her leg up and examined her ankle, brushing her fingers over where the injury should have been. There was a slight discomfort but there was no way it could have healed so quickly. She scrunched her eyebrows slightly as she noticed that same presence she had felt yesterday, lingered over her ankle. She looked around her room and noticed nothing was out of the ordinary. Could it really be the little blue men that were protecting her…?

She giggled and went off to have a bath, though still pondering on her miraculous recovery...

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Meanwhile, a certain orange-haired shinigami, had witnessed the examination, wondering to himself if it was really possible that she could sense something, least of all a shinigami. It's not like she could see him, but maybe she could sense him. He shook his head and passed it off as him over thinking things too much.

Anyway, he needed to actually do what he was sent to the human world for, and that was patrol. He'd leave the woman to her own devices today, hoping she didn't manage to hurt herself in the process once again…

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Orihime had gone through her routine of bathing, making breakfast, then cleaning up as well as taking the time to mend some of the clothes she had ripped due to her clumsiness, all while catching bits and pieces of TV here and there. Once she was done she realised it was getting late so she decided to take care of her errands.

Grocery shopping had been surprisingly quick, though the lines at the till where extremely long. There had been a sale on a certain bag of rice, two for the price of one, therefore there were hoards of people just buying rice. Orihime would have loved to capitalize on the bargain but there was no possible way she'd manage to carry that entire load home and she didn't have money for a taxi. So she bought what she needed and left. By the time she got her shoes, she noticed it was almost dark outside. So she walked off to the bakery, picked up her treat and made her way home.

The streets were very quiet so Orihime quickened her steps, which were hard considering the packets and the cake she held. As she passed an alleyway, she stood rooted to the spot, eyes widening, the bags in her hands seeming heavier than before. She couldn't explain this weird sensation she was feeling. It was as if someone was stealing the breath out of her lungs directly. She dropped to her knees as the feeling became overbearing, she couldn't explain what was happening. She could feel beads of sweat form and roll down the side of her face.

She turned to see where this sensation permeated from but before she could do so, she felt a pain in her right side and her body sailed through the air, within the alleyway. She landed with a thud and tried to get to her knees. Her bags were flung out of her hands, groceries spilled all over. She coughed heavily and her breathing hitched when she heard a dreadful laugh and a sinister voice after.

"Hahaha, what have I found here… Interesting, you don't have a high reiatsu but I can tell its growing. You'll make a good snack onna!"

Orihime looked out in front of her, almost in tears at what she was hearing. She could see a blurred image in front of her, something large, though she couldn't make out exactly what it was. What was going on…?

"Who's there? What do you want?" She woke up slowly on shaky legs, clutching her side. Her legs were bruised from the fall as well as the skin on her arms.

"Aw, you don't need to know, coz after I consume you, it won't make a difference!" the voice yelled.

Orihime flinched and stepped back slightly. She was scared but if she wanted to survive, she had to go into survival mode. Tatsuki had taught her a lot, and it was time she put it to use. The only problem was that she didn't know who her attacker was! She'd just have to anticipate the move and defend for now so she got into a defensive stance, looking carefully at the blurred image, thinking to herself that it seemed to become clearer. She held her ground at its next words.

"Oh my, the little girl wants to play? And here I was thinking you'd be easy prey" it said sarcastically.

Without warning, Orihime felt her legs swiped from under her, she squealed as she fell to the ground, scrambling to get back up and take her stance once again. All she heard was laughter, and when she looked up, she finally came face to face with what she could only describe as a monster…

It had a fat body and a very ugly head with large eyes. There were tentacles, almost identical to an octopus, sprouting from the bottom of its body, not to mention a hole at the center and a bone fragment on one side of its head. It looked like it was grinning and almost as if it was slobbering. It strangely reminded her of one of the freaky monsters on one of the American comics she had read once. Where did it come from…? She had the strange feeling that she was dreaming…

She steeled her nerves and figured that now she could see it, maybe she could take action. There was no way she could defeat something like this but she could defend and then run for her life! This was not the time to panic! Out of the corner of her eye she saw a tentacle race toward her left side, so she raised her hand to block but this creature was too strong.

The tentacle hit her full on and her body hit the wall to the right. She lay slumped against the wall, she knew her hand was broken from the pain shooting up her arm. She felt dizzy due to her head hitting the wall. She lifted her good hand to the right side of her head and almost gasped at the blood she saw on her fingers. She tried to get up and make a run for it but her legs weren't cooperating. She slumped back, feeling herself slip slowly into unconsciousness, watching as the creature approached her, laughing manically.

Just as it was about to descend on her, she saw a flash of black and… orange? Orihime looked up to see a tall figure stand in front of her, pushing back the offending creature with what looked like a huge cleaver-like sword. She looked higher and noticed that the orange she had seen was hair. She would have giggled if she wasn't in such a state. She watched as he swung his sword with a loud grunt and the creature seemed to wither away, not before screaming a round of obscenities.

She opened her mouth to call out to him but just as he was turning, her head slumped to the side and her eyes were shut to the outside world…

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**A/N**

Okay, I'm alive… Gomen my readers! I feel terrible for not updating for ages…. But I have my reasons and I won't bore you with them… Just know that I'm around and I will be trying my utmost best to update as well as finish my other story "Equilibrium". I thank you for your patience and a BIG thank you to all those that reviewed, your little messages really did push me to update…

Sorry to my favorites… I haven't read and reviewed in ages…My deepest apologies…

Just a side note, in this story, Ichigo was able to reach out to Orihime and Keigo because they're more spiritually aware than the rest, especially Orihime, as you just read. I've been out of touch with Bleach in such a long time that I hope some of the things I've mentioned in the story are right.

I do apologise for not typing individual thank you's, like I always do, to the people that have added this story and myself as a favorite, as well as alerted or reviewed the story, it's just that I've been away for so long, it would take me a long while to go back for all the names… But I will be including it in my next chapter!

Please let me know what you think and thanks for the support.

Tc, Kyra


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